Keeping Scotland moving over the summer

The new Transport Secretary has visited the Traffic Scotland National Control Centre to meet resilience staff and hear plans to help keep Scotland moving during a busy summer of events.

The transport network will have a major role to play in the coming months, with Glasgow hosting the Commonwealth Games, the Edinburgh Festival bringing visitors from home and abroad, and events like the Royal Highland Show and the TRNSMT music festival attracting huge attendances.

Traffic Scotland operates 24/7 from the National Control Centre in South Queensferry and provides up-to-date information on the trunk roads, as well as travel planning advice for the wider transport network. The service also plays a key role during severe weather events, raising awareness of impacts and helping travellers plan ahead before the challenging conditions move in.

Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Tourism and Transport Stephen Flynn said:

Scotland’s trunk roads play a key role all year round, whether it’s day-to-day commuting or travelling to events, and this summer is shaping up to be another busy time.

Seeing Traffic Scotland’s operations up close and hearing about the year-round planning our resilience teams carry out has only underlined how important their work is. We have several major events over the coming months, such as the Commonwealth Games and Edinburgh Festival, which will mean Scotland is once again in the spotlight.

We also have the growing impact of climate change on the transport network – combating severe weather is now a year round challenge and our teams must be ready to respond to changing conditions at any time, not just winter.

I was really pleased to meet the staff who are at the forefront of keeping Scotland’s trunk roads moving and thank them for their efforts.